Crying Out Loud

Erika Haygood writes from both the passionate, creative sensibilities of a poet and a deep heart of faith. Her mission is to wake us up, and she succeeds beautifully: sometimes with the driving staccato rhythm of the streets, and at others with reflective tenderness. Whether she is delighting in the girl "almost nine" with "hands/ on hips-to-be" or reliving the experience of slaves on Christopher Columbus' ship, Haygood woos us into seeing the world with fresh eyes. One who begins on "the Outskirts of Hope" and follows her poetry to a more hopeful vision can claim indeed that it's "the rope by which/ God pulled you here"! -Dr. Gail Riccuiti, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School